Hands on My Heart
by StillColdInAlaska
Summary: Spencer/Jenna twoshot very loosely based on "O Valencia!" by The Decemberists. Spencer and Jenna go to great lengths to spend time together despite everything going on in Rosewood. But how long will it be until their relationship is discovered?
1. Lovers Undercover

Okay, so this is a total crack pairing. And I've named them Spenna. This story was basically born of my desire to witness Troian Bellisario and Tammin Sursok make out, along with "O Valencia!" constantly playing in my car. I also happen to be fascinated with Jenna as a character. I really, really loved that scene where she opened up to "Anita" and I wanted to see more of her as a "normal teenage girl," so here we go. This is a little unbelievable, but give it a chance if you feel so inclined! I hope I got Spencer right. And Jenna too, though I took a little bit more liberty with her. As always, constructive criticism is welcome and very much appreciated! :)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pretty Little Liars. Please don't sue me.

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><p>Chapter 1 - "Lovers Undercover"<p>

_Goddammit! _I thought as my hoodie got snagged on a tree branch. _This is ridiculous! You're lucky I like you so much, Jenna. _The funny thing was, I had been doing this nearly every night for the past few months. Traipsing about in the bushes at midnight was certainly not my idea of fun, but it was worth it to be able to be alone with Jenna. We couldn't be seen together at school, or at either of our houses, or in public at all, really. Or, come to think of it, in the daytime. So we resorted to this - some Romeo and Juliet style late night tryst.

I had to take the back way, which forced me to go through the forest for a short distance, then through people's yards, to make sure I wasn't seen randomly walking around at night again. When we had first gotten together, I had waited until it was dark and nearly everyone in the Cavanaugh/Marshall household was asleep, then walked down the street like a normal human being. I soon figured out that I would have to be a lot more covert than that, though, because Toby had come by on his motorcycle one night, and that led to a very awkward conversation that I did not want to repeat again. Let's just say that it ended up with me "going to the library" at nearly 11:30 on a school night to "drop off an overdue book." And the library was in the exact opposite direction from where I was headed. So now I went the stealthy way every night. Which actually wasn't so stealthy at all, seeing as I was now crashing through grass as tall as my knees in the MacLeod's backyard and attempting to avoid activating their motion-censored porch lights.

There were only two more yards to get through before Jenna's, and I picked up speed in anticipation. I made it through the Hamilton's yard without issue, but as I made my way across the Doyle's, their Beagle jumped up onto their couch, peered out the window, and began to howl.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath. I began to speed walk, and when Mrs. Doyle came to the screen door to check out her backyard, I broke into a jog. I reached Jenna's fence and attempted to nimbly climb over, but the pocket of my sweatshirt got caught on one of the pickets. As I struggled to free myself before Doyle or the Beagle spotted me, I lost my balance and fell straight on my ass into Jenna's yard.

"Well, that was smooth!" I grumbled, picking myself up off the ground and dusting off the seat of my pants. I felt around in my pocket for my phone. _Fuck._ It wasn't in any of my pockets, or on the ground on either side of the fence. I must've left it on my desk at home. And I know I did, because my father had come into my room right when I was about to leave and had talked for so long that I was in a rush to get going and left without it.

_Well, I guess I'm going to have to do this the old school way._ I searched the ground around me for rocks small enough to be able to throw and not shatter Jenna's window. Of course, it was pitch black outside, and I had no cell phone to use as a makeshift flashlight. I was forced to get down on my hands and knees and feel around in the grass. Unfortunately, I got a handful of wet leaves laden with tiny slugs right off the bat, but I eventually managed to gather a few small rocks. I crept closer to the house, watching out for anyone walking on the sidewalk. I couldn't see the porch from where I stood, and I hoped that Toby wouldn't be out there, observing or prowling or whatever he did. The porch light was on, but there were no lights on this side of the house, so I would be okay as long as I kept quiet.

I launched the first rock and it bounced off the siding to the left of Jenna's window. The next one was way too low, the third was nearly there but too far to the right. _Well, now you know why you don't play softball._ I snorted at my own joke and tossed again - I was going to have to go find more ammunition if these next few didn't make it. This stone made contact with the window with a sharp _click_. I waited, but Jenna didn't appear. I tried again, listening for the _click_ to resound into the dark, and finally the curtains moved. Jenna appeared in the window and I watched as she unlatched it and slid it open.

"Jenna, it's me!" I stage whispered.

"Spencer?" she replied, smiling. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I forgot my phone on my desk at home and decided to go the route of the '80s chick flick. Can you come down and let me in?" I furtively glanced around, hoping that our exchange wasn't too loud.

"Go wait by the porch - I'll be down in a minute." Jenna was laughing softly as she replied and I smiled to myself as I made my way to the porch steps.

All the lights were off downstairs, and I found Jenna's hand in the dark as we made our way toward the stairs. Except for our soft footsteps and the tapping of Jenna's cane, the house was totally silent. There was a lone light on under a door that I assumed was Toby's; their parents were out of town on a business trip.

"How was your day?" I asked as I shut the door behind us and kicked off my shoes.

"It was kind of rough," she replied quietly. "We had this huge test in English that I wasn't prepared for. And I had a minor mishap in Ceramics."

"What happened in Ceramics?"

Jenna turned to face the sound of my voice and took a few steps in my direction. I met her halfway and took her hand in mine again, knitting our fingers comfortably together.

"I tripped over someone's backpack and fell into a table," she said, visibly embarrassed. "I heard several things shatter. Guess they shouldn't let the blind girl into classes with breakables, huh?"

"Hey, don't say that," I replied, gently pulling her closer to me. "It's not your fault. People should watch where they put their bags."

"I swear I heard Mona laugh at my misfortune, too."

"God, I wish I could slap the condescending smirk right off her face."

"I would've slapped her myself, but my aim isn't that great," Jenna said with a wry smile.

"Come here," I said, laughing, and wrapped my arms around her, holding her tightly. She looped her arms around my waist and rested her head on my chest. It was moments like this that I lived for. It made traipsing through the trees, escaping dogs, and scaling fences all worth it, just to hold Jenna for a little while. We were quiet, and I rubbed her back in slow circles as I felt her chest rise and fall.

"Why can't everyone be as wonderful as you?" Jenna murmured.

I chuckled under my breath, stroking her hair. _What a world that would be._

"I'm sure you're the only one that thinks that."

She lifted her head from my chest and kissed me softly, her hands straying to my lower back. Kissing Jenna always made my entire body buzz, a pleasantly burning warmth spreading across my skin.

"You're extraordinary, Spencer. Believe it."

I gently cupped Jenna's cheek and she leaned into my touch, her sightless eyes seeming to stare into my own. I softly ran my thumb over her full lips, then trailed my fingertips over her cheekbones, her nose, her jaw. I was silent as I explored her face with my hands, my fingers light but insistent as they made their way across her features. It was something that she had done to me so many times, but this was the first time I had thought to return the favor.

"What?" she asked softly.

"Nothing," I replied, my hand still resting on her cheek. "You're just really beautiful."

Her face broke into a smile as I backed her up toward the bed, my hands on her hips. We settled on the comforter, lying down in our usual position, Jenna's head on my chest, my arm around her, our bodies pressed together comfortably. I sighed, content, and ran my fingers through her long dark hair. Most nights we ended up like this - lying as close as we possibly could, feeling each other's heartbeats and talking softly until I had to untangle myself from Jenna and go back home. It was nice to be able to just be, without having to worry about everything that was going on outside of this bedroom.

"Do you know when I first realized that I liked you?" Jenna asked.

"When?"

"We were 13. Mrs. Sheridan's science class. You used the word "Brobdingnagian" to describe the solar system. Logan Hartford made fun of you and you told him that if he opened his textbook once in awhile instead of spending all his time flipping through Playboy, then he might know what you were talking about."

I looked at her, incredulous that she still remembered that. We had Mrs. Sheridan for science class in 7th grade, almost four years ago. I sat in the very front row, taking scrupulous notes, and she sat in the back next to Kelly Brooks.

"I can't believe you remember that."

"Of course I do," she replied. "You did that thing where you smush up your lips when you're telling a joke, and all I could think at that moment was that I wanted to kiss you."

"You've wanted to kiss me for that long?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes," Jenna answered simply. "And now I get to, whenever I want."

I smiled as she lifted herself up and crawled on top of me, straddling my hips. I felt her weight on my body as she leaned forward, running her hands over my face, down my neck, over my chest.

"You're so beautiful," she whispered, her hands coming back up to rest on either side of my face. "And I can feel your smile."

I reached up and kissed her firmly, slipping my tongue into her mouth as she allowed me entrance. She hummed into my mouth and I ran my hands up and down her back, relishing the fact that I felt her shiver. I pressed my hips into hers, wanting to get even closer, and Jenna's lips became more insistent. Her hair fell like a curtain around my face, and I closed my eyes, enveloping myself in our own personal world. I felt Jenna's fingers toying with the hem of my shirt, and I squirmed in anticipation.

"Can I?" she murmured, and I hummed an affirmative. We sat up and I shrugged my hoodie off my shoulders, sneaking kisses while I attempted to get free of my clothing. Jenna's nimble fingers found my shirt again, and she lifted it up, over my head, leaving my breasts bare. Her hands immediately found my chest and I couldn't stop my lopsided grin from forming.

"Aggressive tonight, are we?"

Jenna dropped her hands and tilted her head, hearing the smile in my voice.

"Do you want to slow down?"

I snorted, leaning forward so our faces were barely inches apart.

"No way. I like it," I whispered huskily, my hands making their way under Jenna's tank top. She lifted her arms and I tossed the garment somewhere on the carpet. She pushed me backwards softly, still straddling me, and her bra joined the clothing on the floor. She was now topless in front of me - the first time this had ever happened, in fact - and I couldn't help the sharp intake of breath that escaped my throat.

"What?" she asked, suddenly self-conscious, her hands coming up to cover her breasts.

"Jesus Christ, you're gorgeous," I whispered, and she smiled, a genuine Jenna smile, and rested her hands on my hips. She captured my lips with hers again, and her bare skin on mine was nearly unbearable. I felt like my body was on fire - the ache between my thighs was getting stronger with every insistent movement of Jenna's tongue in my mouth. My hands ran over her bare back for the first time, then over her shoulders, her stomach, until they landed on her breasts. I kept them there as our mouths moved together, my fingers moving dexterously, and I heard her whimper softly.

Jenna's mouth travelled down to my neck, her hands moving even farther down to my breasts, and I couldn't help the low moan that escaped from my throat. I arched my back into her and closed my eyes again, reveling in the attention that she was giving me. Her hair brushed over my chest and I scratched my fingernails lightly over her back. Just as I was inching my knee in between her legs, there was a loud thumping noise from the hallway, a crash, and then a muttered "Shit!"

We jumped apart so fast that Jenna nearly catapulted off of her own bed. I wrapped my arm around her waist to keep her from falling and she fell on top of me instead, the look of terror on her face quickly replaced with one of amusement. She dissolved into giggles, burying her face in my shoulder, and I couldn't help but chuckle along with her.

"Shhh!" she whispered, and I bit my lip, stifling the laughter that was bubbling up in my throat. We waited with bated breath until the shuffling and bumping noises had ceased. When we heard the flush of the toilet, then footsteps past Jenna's room and the click of Toby's bedroom door, we allowed ourselves to breathe again.

"That was the hall table," Jenna explained, still sprawled out over me, topless. "Everyone always trips over it on their way to the bathroom at night."

"I almost had a heart attack! I thought Toby was going to come bursting in here and pull you off of me!"

"Well that would've been a tragedy," Jenna drawled.

I looked over at the clock on her nightstand - it was 1:15 in the morning, and that meant I needed to get going. _Shit._

"It's almost 1:30," I said, playing with her hair. "I need to get back home." She sighed and turned to face me.

"I wish you could spend the night."

"I know, babe. Me too."

This part of the night was always bittersweet. After being so close for the past hour or so, I would have to get up and just leave, sneak through the yards and back into my house like nothing had happened. I might go downstairs for a glass of water, bump into Ian or Melissa, and have to feign like I didn't just get to touch and kiss a nearly naked Jenna Marshall. But with everything going on in town, plus the fact that our parents would flip out if they found out about us, it left us with no choice. And I would rather have these few hidden hours at night than not have Jenna at all.

"I'm sorry that this is all we can have right now," I said, still running my fingers through Jenna's hair. "I wish we could walk down the street during the day and I could show you off as my girlfriend."

"I like the sound of that. I am Spencer Hastings' girlfriend," she said, trying the phrase out, wrapping her lips around each word as if they were all completely unfamiliar to her.

"I am Jenna Marshall's girlfriend," I mused, copying her tone. It felt nice to be able to say it out loud, even if we were the only two able to hear it.

"Hey Jenna?"

"Hm?" she hummed in response.

"You know that I'm really proud to be your girlfriend, right? I don't want you thinking that I'm ashamed of you or anything because we can't be open about us yet."

"Spencer, I would never think that. It's not your fault - it's all the craziness happening in this town. Can you imagine what our parents would do if they found out we were together? Or what Toby's reaction would be?"

"None of them would be happy, that's for sure," I said, kissing her forehead. "But it would be nice, you know, if we didn't have to hide it for once. I feel bad leaving you alone every night."

"It's okay," she replied, her fingers tracing lazy circles on my bare stomach. "I'm lucky that you go through all this trouble every night just to see me for a few hours."

"And I'm lucky to have you," I replied, my hand going to her cheek again. "I promise, one day we'll actually be able to spend the night together."

We untangled our limbs and I got up off the bed, searching for our clothes on the floor. I handed Jenna her shirt and clothed myself, making sure that everything was on right side out. I put my shoes back on and felt in my pocket to make sure my keys were still there.

"Do you want me to go downstairs with you?" Jenna asked softly. I crossed back to her and sat down on the bed.

"No, it's okay, I'll show myself out." I wrapped my arms around her in a hug and she returned my embrace willingly. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too, Jenna."

I gave her one last kiss, then made my way down the stairs and silently out the door. As I began the trek back through the urban wilderness, I felt tears unexpectedly brim in my eyes. I hoped that one day Jenna and I could be together without having to hide it.


	2. Accidently Exposed

Here is the second half of "Hands on My Heart" - yet again, I've succumbed to the lure of a happy ending! I'm sorry I made Toby a little bit of a prick; I actually really like him in the show. He's such a good lesbro to Emily and it makes me smile. :) The ending is something that I'm not quite sure I'm happy with, but I've decided to go with it anyway. Thank you to everyone who decided to take a chance and read my story; special thanks to the person who favorited it. I'm sure I'll be writing and posting more in the future - this is fun! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pretty Little Liars. Please don't sue me.

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><p>Chapter 2 - "Accidently Exposed"<p>

As soon as I came within sight of my house, my stomach dropped. The lights were on in the living room, which meant one thing - that someone was up and about, and I was going to have to make up some lie about why I wasn't in bed at this hour. I unlocked the door as quietly as I could, hoping that someone had just forgotten to turn off the lights before they went up to bed. I heard voices coming from the kitchen and I froze, listening to what was being said. It sounded like everyone was up and having some kind of heated conversation. _What the hell?_

I tried to make my way to the stairs as stealthily as I could, but a floorboard creaked as I crossed the doorway to the kitchen. Immediately, everyone turned their heads toward me and abruptly fell silent. My parents, Melissa, and Ian were standing there, staring at me with various degrees of contempt on their faces. My mother reached out her hand to the table and picked up a cell phone that was sitting there, displaying it. It was mine. _Fuck!_ I thought, beginning to panic. It was going to be hard to dig myself out of this one.

"Um, hey," I choked, my mouth dry. "I just went for a walk, couldn't sleep. I see you found my phone."

"Spencer," my mother began, setting my phone down again. "We know where you were."

"Yeah, I went for a walk. I didn't even go -"

"We know about you and Jenna."

My heart felt like it had dropped into my feet. A soft "oh" escaped from my throat and I stood there, unable to process what she had just said. My brain seemed to freeze for a few precious seconds and I looked in between the four people before me.

"You - you looked through my _phone_?" I finally burst out, my mind whirring into gear. "Why the hell would you be snooping through my things in the first place? Why were you even in my room this late at night?"

"Your father went in to check on you - he does that sometimes, and when you weren't there, we picked up your phone to see where you might have gone."

"You had _no_ right to do that! Have I _ever_ given you a reason -"

"Listen, Spencer, your parents are just trying to do what's best for you. You've been sneaking out in the middle of the night to play around with Jenna Marshall. I mean, come on."

Ian started speaking and immediately my fingers unconsciously curled into fists. The way he was inserting himself into our family, especially in a situation like this, made me incredibly angry.

"Don't you _dare_speak to me, Ian!" I spat. "What, are you pissed off because you tried to fuck her over and she's finally out of your grasp?"

"Spencer!" my mother gasped. "Don't speak to Ian like that. If you'll just sit down, we can talk about this like civilized individuals."

"Oh, and it was so civilized when you searched my things and read private text messages of mine," I retorted angrily.

I stomped over to the breakfast bar and grabbed my phone, keeping it safely in my hand. This was not supposed to happen. Jenna and I were supposed to tell people when we were ready, have each other for support, have a plan ready if our families tried to force us apart. And this…I was left to face them alone, no way to know what Jenna would say when I told her what was happening.

"Spencer…" Melissa started hesitantly. She was standing beside Ian and his arm was around her shoulders possessively. Looking at them made me feel sick. "It's perfectly natural that you should be…experimenting with girls - it'll pass - but Jenna? How can that have struck you as a good idea?"

"It's not _experimenting_," I burst out. Ian snorted with laughter and it made me furious. I whipped around, staring him straight in the face. "So it's okay for Ian here to fuck a bunch of teenagers, even murder one, and that's perfectly fine, but me dating a girl is absolutely unthinkable?"

"I can't believe you would say that, Spencer." Melissa's face was tight and angry as she spoke to me. "The problem is not you with a girl."

"Really? This has absolutely _nothing_to do with me being in a same sex relationship?"

"Absolutely not!" my mother interjected. "You know exactly what this is about. Toby was a _suspect_ in Alison's murder. You can't just hang around with people like that without your reputation getting tarnished!"

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not dating Toby, now, isn't it?"

"You're not 'dating' anyone, Spencer!" my father shouted. It was the first time he'd spoken and it surprised me, how angry he sounded.

"Because you know so much about it."

"I know enough to know that she's no good for you."

A sarcastic laugh escaped from my throat, the harsh sound filling the kitchen. I was expecting my family to be entirely unsupportive, even angry, but being here, having to listen to it, made my blood boil. I understood that the Cavenaugh/Marshall family had a bad reputation in Rosewood, what with the murder investigation, but this whole conversation made me feel so helpless. Jenna was nothing like the monster they were making her out to be. They didn't even know her - had probably never even sat down and had a conversation with her, in fact - and all they were doing was judging her from some media-biased newspaper articles and vindictive town gossip.

But of course no one saw the Jenna that I saw, the one that curled up next to me as I read to her, who knew what I was feeling just from placing her hands on my face, who made me feel like being me was enough. The one who had cried in my arms, her tears soaking into my shirt, when she had heard what everyone was saying about her.

"Like you know what's good for me in any capacity," I responded coldly. "Your attention has been on Melissa and Ian and the_ baby_ and God knows what else, but it certainly hasn't been on me and my welfare."

"Your father is just trying to -"

"You don't know Jenna! You've never even -" I protested.

"And you do?" Ian cut in, smirking, clearly relishing in this argument.

"Yes, I do," I snarled, my vision unexpectedly going blurry with unshed tears.

I felt my face grow hot - with anger and frustration or at the implication of Ian's words I didn't know - and scenes flashed through my head of all the ways I knew Jenna, all the ways she knew me. And it was none of their business. Wasn't it enough for me to tell them that we were together? Didn't they trust my judgment? _Apparently not._

"I care about her, okay? A lot," I said softly, trying to keep my voice from wavering.

"Spencer…" my mother began. "I know you think that these feelings you're having are real, that the…friendship you two have is the be all, end all, but…"

"I don't know what you do with your friends, but that's certainly not what Jenna and I are."

My instinctive reaction was to protect Jenna against these people - my family - who were intent on breaking us up. And that was what I was going to do, fight tooth and nail to keep everything the way it was.

"You're sixteen. Everything seems so important now, but I can tell you that it's -"

"Spencer, you will not be seeing her again, and that is final." My father had apparently gotten tired of my mother's tactics, and now he was taking the shouting approach. "And we've taken the liberty to call Toby with a message for their parents, to make sure that we're all on the same page here."

"You called _Toby_?"

_Fuck._ I backed from the room, my eyes on everyone in the kitchen. I unlocked the front door with trembling hands and rushed down the sidewalk to where my car was parked. _Drive or walk?_ I thought hurriedly, my mind going back and forth between the options. If there was going to be a problem with Toby, a car would be useful, but my parents would also know exactly where I was if they saw it parked in front of Jenna's house. I fumbled with my keys, trying to find the one that would open the door, and promptly dropped them on the asphalt by my feet. _Goddammit!_ I bent down to grab them and my father appeared on the porch, shouting my name.

"Spencer! _Spencer!_ Where do you think you're going?"

I finally managed to unlock the door and start the car before he even stepped onto the path leading down to the sidewalk. I was driving way over the 25 mph speed limit, not bothering to fasten my seatbelt, intent on getting to Jenna as quickly as possible. I didn't know Toby that well, but I did know about the history between the two of them, and jealousy was not implausible once he found out about us. I didn't want Jenna to be there alone with him if he decided to get angry about it.

I drove past Jenna's house and parked in front of a huge SUV, trying to conceal my car as best as possible in case my parents decided to come after me. I jumped out of the car and took the porch stairs two at a time. The light was still on in Jenna's room, but the rest of the house remained dark. I stood before her front door, debating whether to text or call or knock, when I heard faint shouting from inside the house. The voice sounded male, and the worst scenarios possible ran through my head. My hand was on the doorknob and I was inside Jenna's pitch-black entryway before I could even think about it.

"We're going downstairs right now and calling Mom and Dad." Toby's voice came booming into the darkness from somewhere upstairs.

"Toby, please. It's 2:30 in the morning! You don't need to tell them about Spencer and I! It's none of their business," Jenna pleaded.

"I'm not going to tell them about your little lesbian fling, _you_ are. Now come on!"

"Toby, stop!"

There was a shriek that I automatically recognized as Jenna's and then a horrible, repeated thumping noise that seemed to fill the whole house. _Fuck! _I hadn't thought to turn any lights on before I charged through the hallway, and I tripped on the rug, nearly falling on my face, before I made it to the living room. Jenna lay crumpled in a heap at the bottom of the stairs, sobbing, and the sight made it hard to breathe. I rushed over to her and dropped to my knees, terrified that she might be seriously injured. She started when she heard me drop down beside her and cowered away from me, frightened that I might be Toby coming to get her again.

"No, no, Jenna, it's okay, it's me," I murmured, reaching out my hand to gently brush the tears from her cheeks.

"Spencer?" she asked, sounding so small and broken that I swear I felt my heart crack. She sat up shakily and I crawled toward her, pulled her into my lap and wrapped my arms around her. She was trembling all over, and I stroked her hair as she buried her face in my chest. I would've done anything to protect this girl - anything.

"It's okay," I said softly. "It's all going to be okay, we'll fix this, and I'm not going anywhere. You're not hurt, are you?"

I felt Jenna shake her head "no" into my shirt, her back still heaving with sobs. I pressed my cheek to her hair and rubbed her back in slow circles, my heart breaking with every moment that ticked by. This was all my fault. If I had remembered my phone, my parents never would've found out about us, they never would've called Toby, Jenna never would've fallen down the stairs.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered to her. "This is all my fault."

"You're right, Spencer, it is," a voice said from behind us, making us both jump. Toby. I had almost forgotten he was here. "If you hadn't preyed on my sister, this never would've happened."

He flipped on the light and I froze, shocked at what he had just said. Jenna stirred in my arms, raised her tear-streaked face from my chest and turned to face the sound of Toby's voice. She took a shaky breath and I wrapped my arms protectively around her waist.

"Toby, that is total bullshit," Jenna said, her voice still clogged with tears.

"What, so you're telling me that you're a dyke now?" Toby retorted angrily, coming down the stairs. He stopped at the base of the stairs, towering over us, and his presence made me overwhelmingly uncomfortable.

"Hey," I replied fiercely. "Don't you dare call her that."

"No, it's alright," Jenna responded, leaning back into me, her hands moving to cover mine. "No matter what he says, it's not going to change how I feel about you."

I didn't consider myself the most romantic girl in the world, but that sentence falling from her lips made my stomach explode into butterflies. I didn't think kissing her would be the smartest idea in front of Toby, so I settled my chin on her shoulder instead, pressing our bodies as close together as possible. Toby looked a bit taken aback by what Jenna had said, about how we were unabashedly curled up together on the living room floor. He sat down on the bottom step and sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said stonily. "I shouldn't have said that."

"Look, Toby, I know you probably don't accept this. But it's really none of your business," I said bluntly. "I like Jenna a lot and we're going to be together whether you like it or not."

"And Spencer didn't 'coerce' me into anything," Jenna added. "I like her, she makes me happy, and I'm not going to destroy something this wonderful because you don't like it. It would be nice if you were okay with us, but your acceptance is not necessary for my happiness anymore."

"Yeah, okay," Toby said reluctantly, running his hand through his hair. "I guess I can respect that."

I exhaled in relief, glad that this whole conversation wasn't going to be a repeat of the earlier scene in my kitchen. Toby obviously didn't like that Jenna and I were an "us," but at least he had seemed to give up on the idea of alerting their parents, at least for tonight. And my parents didn't seem to be coming after me, either, so maybe the drama was finished for the evening.

"Well, I'm going to go to bed," Toby announced, standing up. He paused before starting up the stairs. "Our parents will be back Friday."

"Thanks, Toby," Jenna replied.

"Yeah, thank you," I echoed.

"And Jenna? Are you okay? I'm sorry about the stairs. I didn't mean for you to fall."

"I'm okay. Now at least," she replied, turning her head towards me with a slight smirk.

"I didn't push her, if that's what you're thinking," Toby added to me.

"Why would I think that?" I snorted with a small smile.

"Goodnight," he replied wearily, and walked up the stairs and into his room.

Jenna turned around in my arms and kissed me, her hands finding their way to my lower back and slipping under my shirt. I returned her kiss languidly, chuckling.

"Should we go to bed?" I asked, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "We do have to get up for school in, oh, three and a half hours."

"I guess we'd better," she replied. "But I can think of better ideas."

"Let's go," I laughed.

I helped her up and we walked up the stairs, her hand warm in mine. I shut the door behind us and removed my shoes and socks, my hoodie, my jeans. Jenna turned down the bed and made sure her alarm clock was set to a very early 6:30 in the morning. As I folded my clothes and set them on her desk, I felt Jenna come up behind me and place her hand on the small of my back. She brushed my hair to the side and gently kissed my neck. I sighed, closing my eyes, and relaxed into her touch.

"Thanks for coming to save me tonight. I wouldn't have been able to stand up to Toby like that if you weren't here."

"You're welcome, but that was all you."

Jenna took my hand and led me over to her bed. She slipped beneath the blankets and I clicked off the light before following. We got comfortable in our usual position, her head on my chest and my arms around her, holding her close. It was dark in the room and I lay peacefully beneath the blankets, reverting to my habit of running my fingers through her hair.

"You know we're going to be okay, right?"

"I know. Except for me taking an unexpected tumble down the stairs, tonight went better than I expected. How'd your parents take it?"

"They weren't very happy. They attempted to trivialize everything, giving the old 'experimentation' and 'you're too young for your feelings to be real' explanations. I ending up telling them off. It just made me so angry, you know. I just wish they could be happy that we're happy."

"I know, me too. And I'm sure my parents will have the same reaction."

"I can be here if you want me to, for support. We can tell them together," I offered softly.

"Thanks," Jenna replied. "It doesn't seem as scary if you're there with me."

"I'm sure it'll still be terrifying, but I'll put a brave face on for you," I joked.

"I know," she said perceptively. "But we got through today, didn't we?"

"That we did."

Jenna yawned and burrowed even farther into the blankets, pressing herself closer to me. I tightened my arms around her and kissed the top of her head, utterly content.

"Goodnight, Spencer."

"Goodnight, Jenna."

I closed my eyes and lay completely still, feeling Jenna's chest rise and fall against my body, her gentle breath on my neck. _We're going to be okay._


End file.
